Billfold



May 2, 1939- l. SCHWARTZ 2,156,875

BLLFOLD Filed Aug. 5, 1937 hunted May 2, 1939 UNITED STATES BILLFOLD Irving Schwartz, Newton, Knight Leather Products,

Mass., assignor to Inc., Boston, Mass.,

a corporation of Massachusetts Application August 5, 1937,

1 Claim.

This invention relates to bill folds and the like articles, which are usually carried on the person.

Bill folds of conventional design and construction are usually provided with a plurality of pockets arranged in juxtaposed relation and adapted to receive various personal effects, the top pocket usually being provided with a transparent wall so as to expose at least part of its contents, such as the face of an identification card, an operators license, or the like certificate. The routine of the average individual usually requires him to carry on his person several such papers, cards or certificates, which ll up the various pockets and cause the bill fold to assume a bulky appearance. As the use of such papers or certificates as railroad passes, operators licenses, etc., is generally confined to a mere visual inspection, it is highly desirable that provision be made not only to receive such papers so that they may be adequately protected from injury due to handling, but also to support them in a manner permitting ready inspection.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide a bill fold which satisfies the aforementioned desirable features without unduly increasing the buik of the bill fold or its cost of manufacture, and without impairing the accessibility to its pockets or its use for any of the various purposes to which such articles are susceptible. j

Further objects will be apparent from a consideration of the following description and. accompanying drawing, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of a bill fold constructed in accordance with the present invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged section on the line 3--3 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary perspective of the front end of the bill fold, showing the outer pocket swung open.

The embodiment chosen for illustration comprises a bill fold having juxtaposed pieces of leather or the like sheet material I and 2 (Figs. 2 and 3) secured together at their edges in any any suitable manner, as by a line of stitching 4, to provide a main pocket having a set of interlocking fasteners 5 operated by a slider B which carries a pull 1, as shown in Fig. l. The wall 2 forms the rear wall for a pair of outer pockets I and II defined by outer wall members which may consist of pieces of leather or the like sheet material I4 and I5 stitched or otherwise secured Serial No. 157 ,535

(Cl. 15o-39) at or adjacent to the marginal portions of the two halves of the wall 2 with their grain or iinished surface facing outwardly and their inner ends spaced from each other so as to provide access to each pocket.

The wall I4 is provided with a U-shaped cut I6 which is spaced from and extends about its sides and one end, thus forming a flap I8 hinged at I9 to the wall I4. A transparent piece of sheet material, such as a sheet of Celluloid 20 is stitched or otherwise secured to the under surface of the margins of the wall I4 and provides a window for the pocket III. As here shown, the same row of stitching 4 which 4ecures the walls I and 2 together, may be used to secure the sheet 15 and the wall I4 in position, although it is to be understood that the particular manner of securing the different parts may be varied in accordance with the design and other considerations.

A sheet of Celluloid or the like transparent material 22, having a marginal binding strip 23 along its side edges, is stitched to the margins at the sides and free end of the flap I8 by a row of stitches 24, thus providing a pocket hinged to the body of the bill fold so as to be swung from a closed position, shown in Figs. 1 and 2, to an open position, as illustrated in Fig. 4. As the transparent sheet 20 is secured to the under surface of the wall I4, the marginal portions surrounding the cutout I6 define a shallow recess adapted to receive the inner wall 22 of the pocket 25, as shown in Fig. 2, and accordingly the thickness or bulk of the bill fold is not materially increased by the pocket 25.

Both pockets II) and 25 are adapted to receive such cards or papers as an operators license, a

railroad pass, an identification card, or the like,

which, in the case of the pocket I0, may be inserted through the opening adjacent to the center of the bill fold, and in the case of the pocket 25, may be inserted through the opening at the free end yof the flap I8. If desired, such opening may be provided adjacent to the hinge I9, in which case the line of stitching 24 may extend about the margins at the free end of the flap either case the contents of the pocket are effectively retained when the flap is closed, as shown in Figs. l and 2.

Since both the transparent sheets or windows 20 and 22 are covered when the flap I8 is in closed position, these parts are protected so that of them becoming scarred, injured or soiled, and the nature and contents of a card or paper inserted in either pocket may I8. In

be readily ascertained at a glance simply by swinging the nap il outwardly. as illustrated in Fig. 4.

The opposite halt of the bill fold may be provided with a pocket having a construction similar to that above described, or. ii.' desired, it may be provided with a change pocket 30 comprising a flap Il cut out of the wall I! and secured to a suitable strip or the like (not shown) to provide rear and/or side walls of the pocket. The opening to the pocket l0 may be provided with a closure ap 32 which carries the socket member 3l oi a snap fastener, the cooperating stud member being carried by the ilap 3l.

Wlile I have shown and described one desirable embodiment oi' the invention it is to be understood that this disclosure is for the purpose of illustration, and that various changes in shape,

proportion and arrangement oi' parte. as well as the substitution oi' equivalent elements for those herein shown and described. may be made without departing from the spirit and scope ofthe invention as set forth in the appended claim.

lI claim:

A bill fold or the like article which comprises juxtaposed pieces of sheet material secured along adjacent edges to provide a pocket, one of said pieces of sheet material having a partially cutout area deining a hinged flap. a sheet oi transparent material secured about the margins surrounding said cut-out area to provide a window for said pocket, transparent sheet material secured to its marginal portions to provide a second pocket pivotally connected to the rst pocket.

IRVING SCHWARTZ.

said nap having a piece of. 

